For the past eight years, residents of the state of California, rest of the US and the world, have not been made to understand the importance of preparing for the upcoming potential Y2K problems and becoming self-reliant against them. The consequences, unless addressed, could be severe, with human repercussions much larger than, for instance, simply not being able to log onto the Internet. Citizens should ask what is the worse case scenario that could occur, and then appropriately plan and meet the challenge head-on in a thoughtful manner.
In the worse case scenario, California alone, for instance, could see:
floods due to the failure of the aqueduct system;
thousands of inmates escaping prisons after the electric fences fail;
failure of communications systems;
heat and lights unable to operate because of the failed electric grid;
all levels of public utilities crippled;